Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-01-14

responsibility In an individual when
practicable) you facilitate the purpose OF
the executive and enable him the more
, readily to correct the abuse from which
the public may suffer.
These state lands should be managed
as an individual would manage them.
There is no more mystery in the proper
administration of government than
there is in the judicious conduct of any
other enterprise. The same business
ideas will be successful in government
that will succeed in private affairs.
The lands must be classified. Let the
governor sppoint agents to do the work,
giving each a district. Then the poor
man or the rich, when he wants to buy 3
home, will know to whom tc look. These
agents can explain the character of the
lands, and, If necessary, they can show
them. Let them be disconnected in other
respects with the government, state or
municipal. After due inspection or salts
factory description Of the land, price is
mutually agreed upon, the agent sends
forward the sale to be approved or dis
approved by the superior (whether he De
the governor or land board) and the entire
! transaction is settled in half the time it
takes to make formal application to the
present. board, and at such prices as the
character of the land will Justify.
4 The government must sell according to
quality, and srbitarary prices will not do.
! The sooner. therefore, the existing sys-
! TEN is modified the better it will be for
the general public.
The legislature should provide for
venue and court to collect the rents from
| persons who have been occupying these
l Inn c sfV gT~.n - r
! 1888. They are still good for these
charges, and should be made to pay.
Otherwise, those who have already
paid should have their money refunded
them.
THE PENITENTI RIES.
The system of penal servitude is one of
the most difficult p:0blems OF govern
meat, aud its embarrassing features are
aggravated by the fact that nearly 5000
conyiCtS swell the roll OF our penitenti-
aries
At the Rssk institution the iron indus
try has been successfully established, and
| is now in full operation. After the CON-
pletion of the furnace it was leased to
MessrS. Conner & Farris, and under their
management Il turned out about nice tons
Of iron per day. They finally pronounced
/
! their contract. It's operation was then
undertaken by the state, and under its
present management il has turned out, on
an average, thirty tons per day Of SPLEEN
did iron. Tle ore is ineXhaustible and
tae enterprise is d complete success. The
board has added to the grounds by the
purchase of 1877 acres OF land from Dr..
JamIson, and also coal and wood lands
I nj nd
maChine-shCpS are in successful opera
ton, and are now turning out great guam
titles Of columns, peGestals, bases and
castings for our new capitol, as well as
wGter-pipiEg and various other articles
for which there is q good market
At Huntsville the wagon ami furniture
industry is carried on, and oil the cloth
ing, shoes, hats, etc, needed for both
penitentiaries are manufactured These
factories are also conducted by the state,
and So successful have they become that
the management has recently purchased
farm and added large store-house.
These are ali paid for; the farm is in fine
condition, and at this, as well rs the
other prison, the conyicts are in excel
lent health.
The penitentiary board has also pur-
chased, with my approval, fine sugar
farm on Oyster creek, in Fort Bend coun-
tv. II consists OF POO acres, cost S25, 000
and was paid for out of the earnings of
convicts employed in building the narrow
gauge railroad from Rusk to Lufkin.
The true theory Of this species of servl-
tude demonstrates that the convicts
should be confined within the prison walls,
and while this idea forms large factor in
the political capital stock of many an as
plring oflice-seeker, yet nearly all of them
SHRINK from an enthusiastic advocacy of
the doctrine the moment you confront
them with the increased taxation the
charge entails.
Passing from this phase OF the difficult
ty, let Us briefly examine 1t from another
and more serious standpoint. We hear
it constantly asserted by well-meaaiGg
people that the inmates should not come
in competition with free labor. How are
we TO proven: it? l would be glad If |
could see a way out of the dilem a. But |
there is only one way to avoid competi- |
ton, and thatiSfor the taxpayers to make |
up their minds to sustain the COnvicts in !
iGleness at the expense of the public. |
This is the plain issue, and when the peo- |
pie are prepared to meet it, then, but not |
till then, will this problem be solved.
The number of cOnyiCtS is constantly !
increasing. AS one OF the means of pre-
venting or lessening this, suggested in |
my message in 1883 the erection Of q re- |
formatory and the remodeliug of our Grim
inal code. This l again urge upon the
legislature. TIE youth should not 90 10
the pen.tentisrY with the worst class Of |
criminals, nor should men be sent to 4
felOn's cell in cases Whsre only snort
terms of Imprisonment are awarded. We
now have the farce often enacted in this
State of men being sent for g day, and in
some cases only Tor an hour, to the peni-
teuti8ry. In such cases as these | have
never refused to pardon, for no stronger
appeal for clemency could be advanced
than such verdict in Itself furnishes, and
this, too, on grounds of economy as well
as justice.
Since the abrogatlon of the lease in
1883, it has often been serious question
what we could do With the convicts. A.
one time they were nearly all surrendered
by the railroads, thus magnifying the
We tried renting ard
farming, and although little could be
ton at least of keeping them healthy and
paying expenses.
When the proposition came to change
he material in the construction of the
lew capitol from limestone to granite,
he board, at my suggestion, took the re-
OF letting the contractors
lave number Of the men TO work ct
iSty-tive cents per cay, working in the {
ills and cutting stone. BIZ this, as one {
# the means ct least, we have succeeded {
n getting the structure built OF the finest {
Tanite material in the world. We nave :
lSo been enabled to make the prisoners !
hus employed not only selfsupporting, '